sion of audio visual instructional service, National Education Association, Washington, D. C.; Archibald T. MacAllister, professor of Italian, Princeton University, Princeton, N. J.; David H. MacIntyre, helping teacher in foreign language, Office of Secondary Supervision, Arlington, Va.; Kenneth Mildenberger, director, the foreign language program, Modern Language Association, New York, N. Y.; Helen Erskine Roberts, scholarship coordinator and Spanish teacher, Westchester High School, Los Angeles, Calif.; George A. Roeper, principal, City and Country School, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; James E. Russell, secretary of Educational Policies Commission, Washington, D. C.; Robert B. Skelton, head professor of foreign languages, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Ala.; William H. Stegman, director of research, San Diego City Schools, San Diego, Calif.; Raymond Martin Taibl, director of Psychological Services and Special Education for Exceptional Children, Pueblo, Colo.; Mary P. Thompson, director of curricu lum and instruction, Glastonbury public schools, Glastonbury, Conn. NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION INVITATIONAL CONFERENCE ON IDENTIFICATION AND EDUCATION OF THE ACADEMICALLY TALENTED PUPIL IN THE AMERICAN SECONDARY SCHOOL (FEBRUARY 6-8, 1958) SUMMARIZING REPORT: EDUCATING THE ACADEMICALLY TALENTED SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPIL IN MODERN LANGUAGES (Stephen A. Freeman, reporter) A. Languages for leaders.-The academically talented pupil will be a leader in tomorrow's world. Some experience with and some degree of skill in using a modern foreign language are an indispensable element in the education of our national leaders. The international responsibilities of this country make it imperative that at least our academically talented have a reasonable proficiency in the use of at least one modern foreign language. The academically talented pupil should be given every opportunity, and should be strongly urged by effective guidance counseling, to study a modern foreign language until he attains a certain degree of mastery. Not merely because the pupil will probably be college oriented and will have to satisfy college entrance and degree requirements, but chiefly because of the demands of the modern world, this group even believes (with 2 dissenting out of 21) that the study of a modern foreign language should be required of every academically talented pupil. B. Four-year sequence.-The 2-year program of language study usually followed, and to which many pupils are limited, is not sufficient to impart this proficiency. Much more time is needed. A minimum continuous sequence of 4 full years in high school, or its equivalent, is necessary in order to achieve the desired results. It may even be more effective to spread the equivalent study over a 6-year sequence. Individual differences and conditions of study may shorten or lengthen the requisite time; for the goal is achievement. The pupil should not dabble in language study. A program of 2 years in each of 2 languages is definitely not to be recommended. In general, a 4-year sequence of study in grades 9 to 12, or its equivalent in achievement, in 1 modern foreign language, is the least that should be expected of the academically talented pupil. C. Begin early.-Since language study is best begun very early, the academically talented pupil should have an opportunity to begin a modern foreign language in the elementary school, whenever the proper conditions for such study exist and qualified instruction is available. At this age the pupil learns language automatically as behavior, and not as a rational process. Such programs offer rich possibilities for the future of modern language study. It is evident that the study of a foreign language in the elementary school must be closely articulated with further study in the junior and senior high school so that there is no break in the sequence and so that pupils can progress regularly. Beginners must not enter the unit at a later point. It must have separate treatment to its completion. Properly qualified teachers of languages in the grades are now in short supply. All possible sources are not now being utilized, however, such as native speakers in this country or exchange teachers from abroad who could receive supplemental training and function well under supervision. D. Every high school.-We note that 56 percent of the public high schools in the United States do not offer any foreign language. Many academically talented pupils are thus deprived of the opportunity of acquiring a modern foreign language. To remedy this shocking situation, we recommend that as quickly as possible every public high school in the country offer at least one modern foreign language. E. Russian-It is a matter of great national urgency that more Americans know Russian. It is therefore strongly recommended that as fast as possible, when proper conditions exist and adequate instruction can be made available, the study of Russian be introduced in the public high schools of the country. Such study when begun should be carried to a point of reasonable proficiency, and suitable opportunities provided therefore, especially for the academically talented pupil. In order to measure up to the responsibilities of world leadership, many more of the world's common languages must be taught in this country. The academically talented pupil, while beginning his language study with a West European language, should be conditioned to the idea of possible later study in the languages of the Near East, India, China, Japan, and Central Africa. Some of these languages should even now be added to the curriculum of the public high school wherever feasible. F. Begin orally.—In beginning a foreign language the academically talented pupil should concentrate at first upon learning to hear and speak. Interest and motivation are thus increased. Attention should be given to acquiring a correct accent. Learning to read a foreign language, the third phase of the hearing-speaking-reading-writing progression is a necessary step in the total process. The goal in this step should be reading with understanding and without conscious translation. G. The teacher.-The teacher of an academically talented pupil should himself be academically talented insofar as is possible. He should also have a superior preparation in his field. The Modern Language Association as set forth the qualifications of secondary school teachers of modern foreign languages in a statement endorsed by 18 organizations of modern language teachers. These recommended qualifications at the superior level include: near-native ability in understanding and speaking the foreign language; the ability to read difficult material almost as easily as English, and to write the foreign language with ease and naturalness; an enlightened understanding of the foreign people and their culture, augmented by residence abroad; a mastery of teaching methods and techniques, including the contributions of linguistic science. These qualifications constitute the goal toward which every language teacher should work as rapidly as possible, through study, in-service training, attendance at summer schools, and foreign travel. Scholarships and other subsidies should be provided to enable them to do so. The professional preparation of the language teacher must be on the same high level; and the support of teacher-training institutions is earnestly sought to this end. The improvement of teacher preparation for modern languages will require close collaboration between modern language people and those in professional education. The teacher of the academically talented should also increase his competence by using the resources provided by his professional organizations, both in the field of professional education and in the modern languages. During the last 6 years the foreign language program of the Modern Language Association has assembled many important aids and directives. H. Equipment.-Modern invention has created a large number and variety of mechanical aids which should be used by the academically talented to increase motivation and to accelerate progress, in connection with both class work and individual study. The language laboratory with tape recordings and disc records, the radio and television, realia and illustrative material of all kinds, instructional films, kinescopes, and film strips, are among these possibilities. Further research and experimentation are necessary to determine effective techniques for their optimum use. Care must be taken to integrate them well with the class work and the textbook. We recommend further conferences on these problems, and instruction for teachers in the use of such mechanical aids. I. Teaching materials.-The new emphasis on hearing and speaking in the learning of a language makes necessary a thorough reexamination and revision of basic textbooks with a view to deemphasizing formal grammar and translation in the early stages of language learning, and to including properly integrated oral and audiovisual materials. We urge the development of reading materials in the foreign language, suitably and attractively presented, which will give full scope to the interests, maturity and linguistic achievement of the academically gifted student. Teachers of talented students who are able and willing to conduct experimentation and research in language teaching and learning should be encouraged to pursue such essential work by being given released time in order to develop special programs. J. Special groups.—Whenever possible under local conditions, it is highly desirable to create a special group or groups of students particularly talented for language study. The methods and materials used in this special group should be different in order to facilitate better quality of results, greater depth and enrichment, more flexibility, and added individual responsibility. At the advanced level, students who show high potential should have an opportunity to follow special study plans which may be similar to the advanced placement program. We do not favor multitrack organization of all language students, as we see dangers in too much stratification. In small schools where separate sections are not feasible, even then, the talented pupil should be served by encouraging individual initiative and progress. K. Class size. It is an accepted principle that the handicapped pupil is treated in very small groups. We believe that the same concept should be applied to the academically talented pupil, since we seek equality of educational opportunity. It is an admitted fact that the best work in a foreign language cannot be done in very large classes. The able pupil is therefore penalized if the school does not create conditions favorable to his optimum advance. While we are realistically aware of the problems of administration and teacher shortage, this group believes that it is the duty of educational authorities to work effectively toward the ideal condition of handling the talented pupil in groups of from 15 to 20. L. Additional experiences.-We recommend that teachers of the academically talented be encouraged to make full and imaginative use of linguistic and cultural resources in the community for the enrichment of the language program. A talented pupil studying a modern language should be given frequent opportunity to use the language in other areas of the curriculum, as in his readings in history or the sciences. Such correlation is important, both for motivation and for the integration of the whole curriculum in the student's mind. Talented students may also be encouraged to take advantage of special opportunities for language study and practice outside of their own school. Some summer schools offer scholarships to the gifted. Some nearby college may admit them to a class. Especially in rural areas or in small high schools, high-grade correspondence courses which include recorded materials prepared according to the best procedures may be helpful in giving enriched language practice. CONCLUSION This group believes unanimously that the academically talented pupil in every secondary school in the nation should study a modern foreign language; that he should begin it as early as possible and carry it in an uninterrupted sequence to a point of reasonable mastery, including both speaking and reading proficiency, equivalent at least to 4 years of secondary school study. He should be encouraged to progress individually as fast as his ability permits, under superior instruction, and as nearly as possible ideal conditons of study, correlatng this new skll and experience with all other area of his experience. THE WORLD'S LANGUAGES-AND THE NUMBER OF AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TEACHING THEM (See table, p. 847, pt. 2 of these hearings) About 72 percent of the world's total population, or some 1,900 million people, speak natively a language other than those usually taught in American colleges and universities: English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish. The statistics referred to on native speakers were synthetically compiled from Meillet-Cohen, Les Langues du Monde (1952), from several recent studies of language, and from other sources, including unpublished U. N. statistics. In the spring of 1954, replies from registrars in 971 institutions provided a fairly accurate, nearly complete record of offerings in modern foreign languages by American colleges and universities during 1954-55. Of these 971 institutions, 905 offered some instruction in French; 867, some in Spanish; 825, some in German; 493, some instruction in all 3 of these languages but no other modern foreign language. Italian was offered by 212 institutions, Russian by 183, Portuguese by 69. No modern foreign language instruction was offered by 38 institutions reporting. There is no reason to believe that the situation as regards the usual languages has changed substantially since 1954. IMPORTANT ORIENTAL LANGUAGES AND MATERIALS FOR TEACHING THEM (Prepared by the American Council of Learned Societies, New York, N. Y.) The following listing of materials available in important oriental languages and suitable for intensive language-training courses is probably nearly complete. A rather substantial survey would be needed to list and appraise all the publications in print that might have some use in connection with the study of the languages mentioned. This has not been possible and the following comments are based on information supplied by a number of experts in the field. The vast bulk of the textbooks and other materials mentioned below was produced by the American Council of Learned Societies either by the program administered during World War II or by the program in oriental languages which began in 1953 and is scheduled to continue for approximately 1 more year. Japanese.-Materials are available for teaching Japanese but they are in need of revision and modernization. A basic textbook was prepared during World War II and a more recent one exists in manuscript form. Chinese. In spoken Chinese there are many variants, most of which are unintelligible to speakers of others. For Mandarin and Cantonese there is much material prepared in various ways, little of it suitable for intensive language courses. A spoken Mandarin and a dictionary were prepared during World War II. There are a few textbooks for Cantonese, but the dictionary situation is not fully satisfactory. There is a recent spoken Amoy, which is the dialect used, in slightly different form, on Taiwan. We are in the early stages of preparing a student textbook for the Shanghai dialect of Wu. There are a few texts for Hakka but no really modern ones, and additional work is needed on Swatow. Vietnamese.-There is an elementary textbook for the southern dialect which is being revised by the Foreign Service Institute of the State Department. This group is also preparing a new text based on northern speech. Cambodian.-There is no available textbook for this language. The Foreign Service Institute is preparing a course, part of which will be ready by September. There is no English-Cambodian dictionary; students must use a FrenchCambodian one. Thai. The ACLS has published an elementary textbook, now considered somewhat obsolescent because this language is developing rapidly. A brochure on the writing system and a graded reader are also available. A student dictionary is in preparation. Laotian.-The ACLS has published one volume of spoken Lao, and a second is in preparation. There is no dictionary and no reader. Burmese. A good textbook, also somewhat obsolescent, and a good reader are available. A dictionary is in preparation and is expected to be completed next year. Indian languages.-There are many languages in India and Pakistan, and, of these, the number of modern language teaching books is extremely small. The Indian universities are developing, with American assistance, the study of modern linguistics, and eventually will be able to produce some of these works, or the basis for them, in India. In Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu), a textbook was prepared during World War II. No adequate dictionary exists. We understand that the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State has prepared a basic course in Hindi and is working on one in Urdu. A grader reader is in process. Plans for making these publicly available have not yet been completed. No materials are available for Marathi. The basic course in Telugu is nearly completed and will be ready for printing next year. No basic course is available for Tamil. For Kannada a descriptive analysis is in press and an elementary text is being worked on. A basic analysis has been completed on Singhalese and a beginning has been made on a basic course. A basic course has been prepared for Bengali, but is not yet printed. There is a dictionary. Nothing in the way of a modern textbook, a reader, or a modern dictionary is available for the following languages: Gujarati, Assamese, Panjabi, Oriya, Malayalam, Nepali, and Sindhi. Mongol.-An elementary textbook is nearly completed but needs some additional work. The ACLS has already published a reader. Uzbek.-The work in this language has barely begun. Uigur. Only the beginnings of work in this language have been made. Azerbaijani.—An elementary textbook for this language is nearly complete but not yet in print. There is no dictionary, save in Russian and a brief one in German, and no reader. Turkish. There is an elementary textbook available, prepared during World War II. We understand a more modern course is being prepared in the Foreign Service Institute but it is not yet available. The available dictionaries are not wholly satisfactory. Indonesian. A dictionary and reader are in preparation. There is no publicly available elementary textbook; the Foreign Service Institute has one in manuscript form. Javanese.-An elementary textbook is more than half completed and preparation for publication has already begun. There is no dictionary and no reader. Georgian. Some beginning work on an elementary textbook has been done but there is no reader. There is a British dictionary. Berber.-An elementary textbook in Shilha is partially completed. is one of a number of related Berber languages. Shilha Arabic.-A dictionary of modern literary Arabic is in preparation and also a less elaborate glossary. There is a reader and an introduction to the writing system. The World War II language program produced an elementary textbook for Iraqi-Arabic. Some basic work has been done in spoken EgyptianArabic. A new Moroccan-Arabic and a new Syrian-Arabic are in process. Persian.-There is no adequate elementary textbook. The available dictionaries are not fully adequate; the ACLS is planning to publish a reader shortly. The Foreign Service Institute has a newspaper reader half done. Pashto.-There is no satisfactory elementary textbook available for either Kandahar or Peshawar dialects. The Kandahar dialect is spoken in southern Afghanistan and the Peshawar dialect in the northeast and also in northwestern Pakistan. The dialects are sufficiently different so that separate elementary textbooks will be necessary. There is an English-Pashto dictionary but no Pashto-English. There is a Pashto-Russian dictionary. A grammar of the Kandahar dialect is available. A beginning has been made on a Pashto reader. Korean.-There is an elementary textbook developed during World War II which is now for various reasons thought to be unsatisfactory. An excellent dictionary is now nearly complete and should be ready for publication within a year or so. The Foreign Service Institute has a reader in manuscript form. Tagolog. This is the most important of the indigenous languages of the Philippine Islands. It has assumed increasing importance in recent years and we are lacking in materials for teaching it. Tadjik.—This is the language of one of the Soviet Republics along the southern border. There are excellent materials in Tadjik and Russian. Nothing for this language exists in English. Afghan-Persian.—This is the language spoken in Kabul. An elementary text of this language has been prepared but has not yet been reviewed. Publication is contemplated. Kurdish.-There is a descriptive grammar of this language but no modern elementary course is available. There is no dictionary. Mr. ELLIOTT. Our second witness is Mrs. John F. Sherman. Mrs. Sherman is the elementary chairman of the Montgomery school language program in Montgomery County. Over the past few years Mrs. Sherman has been active in promoting a foreign language program in the elementary schools of her country. I understand that there are now some 22 elementary schools in Montgomery County that are attempting a foreign language program. We are delighted you are here today, Mrs. Sherman. We have copies of your statement and you may proceed in any manner you may desire. Let me say to you, Mrs. Sherman, that because of the very tight time situation we are in we will have to limit your testimony to 20 minutes. |